In the Time of Knights and Dragons: Syrus Truesdale and Annie Hanson
Hello again, GX fans. Well, the past two chapters we have seen two versions of a similar story and we've learned that you can't please everybody. Some people like historical epics, while some don't. That's okay. We all have our preferences and that's all right. We also should mention that not all of our couples were meant to have drama in their past lives. We thought they deserved a break. And we don't want to get repetitive with the drama and trauma. And just so everyone knows, with the exception of the Jaden/Alexis/Yubel triangle, there aren't going to be Duel Monsters. Since not everyone's past lives would be in places where dueling was common, that should make sense. Now, onto the next tale…
This story is of Annie and Sy, and their past life together. We don't know if there could truly be an antagonist in this tale, unless you want to call bad circumstances antagonists. But this tale is set in medieval times. It was a time of many different kingdoms; it was the time of knights and dragons.
Disclaimer: As usual, we only own our OCs and this storyline. It's been… How many chapters now?
–The authors look at each other and Bastion walks into the room- One hundred and forty-three chapters, ladies. This is the 144th. –Bastion leaves-
--Peach and 15animefreak15 look at each other—What he said. We established it quite a while ago. Thanks!
Authors' note and warning: There are mentions of violence in this story and there is character death. You will need tissues at the end of the story, folks. Furthermore, there are outright similarities between the Annie and Sy you know and love in the 21st century and the Annie and Sy in medieval times.
Once upon a time, about a thousand years ago in a faraway land, two kingdoms warred and fought. But then one day, a daughter was born to one king and his wife, while a son was born to the other king and his wife. The two royal couples looked at the babes in their arms and realized that the war between the kingdoms could not go on. The little girl was named Anne, which means grace. Her father, King Alexander and her mother, Queen Katherine, hoped that their youngest child would have the grace to bring peace to the kingdoms. Meanwhile, in the other kingdom, King William and Queen Darla named their youngest son Syrus, which means "sun," for he filled their lives with happiness, like a sunny day. Eight days after the babies were born, the kings met and betrothed their children to each other.
"Our babes will bring peace to our kingdoms, King Alexander," William said on that day in Alexander's throne room.
"Yes, and then all of this bloodshed and needless death shall be at an end at last," Alexander replied with a smile.
"The peace begins today," King William replied, bringing a bottle of a bubbly drink. "Let us drink to our new peace."
"Certainly." King Alexander poured them each a generous glass, and he raised his. "A toast, to peace between the kingdoms of Britain and Hapsburg!"
The monarchs toasted. "And to our children, and our children's children!" William joined.
"Hear, hear!" Alexander agreed, and as their glasses clinked once more, peace was declared between the two kingdoms. After years of fighting, the war would finally cease. All over the two kingdoms, men laid down their weapons and embraced their former foes. And in the cribs of two castles, two babies suckled at their mothers' breasts, little knowing they were already engaged to be wed. They would meet for the first time on their 8th birthdays.
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Eight years later, Princess Anne looked up at her mother and father in the royal carriage as they left their sailing ship. The small girl was already considered quite a beauty in her own country and beloved by her people. She had long, dark brown hair in a long braid down her back, and eyes the color of the lake near her father's castle, a brilliant blue. She was slender, and was dressed in a blue gown. She wasn't the loveliest girl in her kingdom, but because she was kind to everyone she met, in the eyes of her people, she was a beauty.
"Father, Mother, where are we going again?" she asked.
"To meet King William and your betrothed, Prince Syrus," Queen Katherine repeated again.
"I've heard that his people consider him to be a very handsome prince," King Alexander added. He was hoping the two would like each other; it would make the future marriage go much smoother.
"It will be an excellent match, my daughter," Katherine said. "And you will grow to love him, as I did your father."
"But what if I do not?" the small girl asked, nervous.
Alexander looked at his beloved queen; they both knew that was a possibility. "Anne, I am sure you will come to love him, even if it is not love at first sight."
"Yes, Father," Anne said. She knew that she had to marry this boy because it was her duty and that peace between her father's kingdom and King William's depended on it. So the three members of the Hapsburg royal family rode on to the palace in silence. "Mother, I'm frightened," Anne whispered as they exited the carriage.
"Anne, my little love, remember to breathe, or the spell you've had will return!" Queen Katherine cautioned, seeing the panic in her daughter's face.
"Just stay calm. Remember your manners. I trust you, and King William and his family are very kind," King Alexander soothed.
"Yes, Father...Mother..." The three made the walk into the castle and headed toward the room where King William held court. And in this castle, there was also nervousness.
"Now, Syrus, today is a special day, and not just because it is the day your mother gave birth to you," King William said to Prince Syrus warmly.
Prince Syrus looked up at his father, who had been his role model since he was a toddler. He knew that one day he would be king and would rule like his father did now. As for the current rumors about his appearance, he certainly was considered a handsome young man. However, it was his kind and caring nature had won his people over. He had hair the color of the blue sky, and eyes the color of silver goblets. He was, however, slender and rather short for his age. He was dressed in light robes of navy blue. "I know, Father. Today is the day I meet Princess Anne..."
"And I think she will love you. She is beloved by her kingdom and all who know her. And I believe that she will love you as well. Your mother, brother and I know what a good and kind boy you are. And some day, you will be a loving husband to Princess Anne." King William met his son's silvery orbs with his dark eyes. The King looked like his eldest son, Prince Zane, who had made it clear that if he chose, he would rather that his younger brother rule the kingdom.
Some might consider this strange, since during that time the eldest would be held as the heir. But because of the peace the marriage brought and that Princess. "But, Father...what if I don't love her?"
William smiled. "Then you will grow to love her, my boy. Men and women do grow to love each other. You may not love her right away, but I think you will grow to love her."
Syrus nodded. He knew he would have to, since he couldn't simply refuse and allow the two kingdoms to begin warring once more. "Yes, Father..."
"It will be all right. You'll see...Remember that your mother and I were married in much the same way," the king murmured.
"I know, Father. Though, I am nervous about meeting her for the first time. What if she does not like me?" Prince Syrus asked worriedly.
"I cannot see how she wouldn't," William comforted him.
And then, a liveried servant came to the chamber the father and son were in. "Your Highnesses...they are here!"
Prince Syrus's eyes widened, and he desperately forced down the nervousness that rose within him. 'I have to stay calm. I do not want her to think I am a coward,' he thought.
"It will be all right," the king whispered as they walked into the court area and sat down at their thrones with Queen Darla and Prince Zane.
"Today is the day, brother," Zane whispered. "You meet your betrothed."
Syrus sighed. "I know, brother. I just hope that she likes me," he whispered back.
"She will, Syrus...you are very likable," Zane whispered again.
"He is nervous," King William whispered to his queen.
Queen Darla nodded. "Yes, I could tell this morning at breakfast. Though, if I recall, another young prince was nervous when he met his betrothed," she whispered, referring to William.
William flushed. "And we only met for the first time a week before our wedding, my love."
Darla smiled. "At least they have the chance to meet well before that day."
"Yes..."
And then there was a flourish of trumpets as the royal proclaimer shouted out, "Their Majesties, King Alexander, Queen Katherine and their daughter, Princess Anne!" And the visiting royal family came forward and down the red carpet to their hosts.
Syrus straightened in his throne, hoping he looked like a regal, brave prince. Then, he looked at his betrothed, and felt his heart flutter. 'She is...beautiful. No, more than that... She is lovely,' he thought, breath hitching in his throat.
Anne for her part beheld the young prince and thought, 'He looks so sweet and kind...And handsome too. I wonder what he is like...We are the same age...'
Syrus managed to get hold of himself, and breathed normally again. 'She is the same age as me. I wonder what she is like... Maybe we will have a chance to talk to each other while she is here, ' he thought hopefully.
And then, as they approached the throne, Princess Anne felt very weak. "Mama," she murmured.
"Anne?!" Katherine gasped.
"Anne, my child, are you all right?" Alexander asked, quickly placing a hand behind her back to steady her.
"I..." Anne could get nothing more out and fainted.
"Oh, my! Summon the royal physicians!" King William ordered quickly, concern in his eyes.
Prince Syrus stood from his throne, worry for the princess obvious in his expression. "Father, Mother, what is wrong with her?" he asked fearfully.
"I don't know, son," King William said, getting up and moving to his friend, King Alexander. "Can I assist you in any way?" he asked.
"We just need a bed and a bowl of cool water with a cloth. It has happened before," King Alexander explained, holding his daughter tenderly.
King William gave the orders and the little princess was rushed to a warm bed. "The children can meet away from prying eyes," William said as the royal physicians worked over Anne.
The mothers were watching worriedly. "This has been happening since she was seven," Katherine sighed, worry in her brown eyes.
"Oh, dear. Does it always occur when she becomes nervous?" Darla asked gently.
"Yes, and when she runs too quickly. Our own physicians are uncertain of why it happens," Katherine explained.
"Perhaps she is faint of heart?" Darla offered, referring to the kind of person who often fainted at the sight of certain things.
"She might be...she is very courageous when she must be, but alas, it seems her body does not match it."
"Oh, it is the same for our dear Syrus. Though he does not appear to be as strong as most boys his age, he is very brave like his brother and his father."
Finally, the princess stirred. "Mmm... Mama...Papa?" she moaned weakly in the bed.
King Alexander and Queen Katherine went to their daughter's bedside as the physicians left the room. "We are here, my daughter," Alexander said softly.
"Our sweet one," Katherine murmured.
"I'm sorry," the girl apologized, still very pale. "I just became so nervous, I became dizzy. Father...I didn't wreck the alliance, did I?"
"No, no, of course not. King William and his family are actually very worried about you," Alexander soothed answered.
King William came forward. "It is all right, young one."
"Your Highness," Princess Anne said weakly, trying to sit up.
"Do not sit up...just relax," William soothed.
Prince Syrus looked up at his mother with a silent question, and she nodded. He walked over to the bed, looking at Princess Anne and feeling that strange flutter in his chest once more. "Are...are you all right, princess?" he asked shyly.
Anne looked into the face of the boy she would someday marry. "Better, thank you...Prince Syrus. I am sorry that I fainted. I didn't mean to show weakness..."
Syrus shook his head. "Oh, no, it's all right. I am just glad that you are feeling better, Princess Anne." He offered her a small smile.
"It is both of our birthdays today, is it not?" she asked.
He blinked, then nodded. "Yes, it is."
"Then...happy birthday," she said to him.
He smiled again. "Happy birthday, Princess Anne."
William stepped away from the bed with King Alexander. "Perhaps we can leave the children alone to get acquainted."
Alexander nodded. "Yes, good idea."
The mothers stepped away as well, leaving the prince and princess alone in the room with Prince Syrus's nurse as silent chaperone. "So...have you ever been to the Hapsburg kingdom?" Anne asked the prince shyly.
"No...but I would like to go there. I want to see what it is like. Could...you maybe tell me about it?" Syrus asked, still shy but very curious.
"Of course...It is very green where I live, and there is a river and lake next to our castle," she answered.
"A river and lake? We have to go a long way into the forests to see one of those. Do you have a sea in the Hapsburg kingdom?" he asked. Of course, he meant a coastline, not an actual sea within the kingdom.
"Yes...it is a long ride from our castle but there is a sea to the north," she answered. "It is very beautiful."
He smiled. "There is a sea to the east, and it is not very far. We often go there in the summer, when it is warmer. Otherwise, it is too cold."
"It is the same sea...We came here on it," Anne smiled.
Syrus's eyes widened. "You mean you rode on a ship?"
"Of course...Have you taken geography yet?" she asked him. Unlike most girls in her day, the princess was allowed to read and learn like her brother.
"Yes, I have a tutor who teaches me a lot of things. But I am not very good at geography...or the other subjects he teaches me," he admitted. 'She must think I am a fool,' he thought worriedly.
Anne smiled. "Not everyone is good in the subjects. I am not good at some of the things Mother tries to teach me," she admitted.
Syrus looked at her in surprise. "Really?"
"Yes. I am terrible at sewing, but Mother says I will learn the talent eventually," she blushed.
"Well, there is one thing I am good at... My tutor says that I can read very quickly for my age, and that I am good at scribing," he explained.
"You too?" she asked, eyes wide with happiness.
He blinked. "You mean, you are good at reading and scribing?"
"It is unusual for a girl to have that skill, but Father likes it," she said shyly.
"Father is glad that I have that skill as well. He says that a future king must be able to read to gain knowledge and write out new laws," Syrus answered.
"Of course. At least...it is good you are a boy," she blushed.
He smiled back at her. "I think it is good that you know so much. You will be much wiser than most queens and our people will look up to you."
"You do not think it freakish?" she asked.
He shook his head. "No. I think girls should learn like boys do. Then, maybe it would be fairer."
"Perhaps we will bring about a new world," she smiled. Her eight-year-old heart was conscious of a new feeling...this was love. Syrus wasn't sure, but he hoped the feeling he had around this girl was love. Just like his parents had promised he'd feel. "Prince Syrus...um..." The princess blushed deeply.
"Yes, Princess Anne?"
"Do you believe that love can happen immediately?" she asked, blushing.
He blushed as well. "You mean...love upon first sight?"
"Yes," she answered.
He blushed a bit more. "I...I believe it can happen..."
"I...do...as well..."
"Princess Anne..."
"Yes?" she asked.
"Do you...think that perhaps...that is what we are going through right now?" he asked shyly.
The small girl blushed as deeply as it was possible for a human to blush. "Perhaps we are...and that is good."
Syrus was blushing just as red, and he nodded. "Yes, since we are to be wed..."
"Not until we are 15," she answered as shyly as he had asked.
"We still have…" He counted on his fingers… "Seven years."
"Yes...until then...we will get to know each other," she said.
He nodded, smiling. "Yes. I am sure that until the wedding ceremony, we will be the best of friends."
"That we will be," she smiled dreamily. "Though I do not understand everything about marriage yet...I suppose we will find out," she said.
"When we are older, our parents will surely speak with us about it," he replied.
"Yes..." The children talked on as the parents listened outside.
"I believe this is a success, Queen Darla," Katherine said as she stood against a wall.
Darla nodded happily, also against the wall. "Yes, they seem to be getting along very well."
"I think the children have fallen for each other. It seems they are alike in temperament," William murmured to Alexander.
"Yes, and they both have similar interests. I am certain they will come to grow very close, even before the wedding," Alexander whispered.
"That will be good. They will become naturally close, so their bridal moon will be happy," William smiled.
"And they both will make excellent rulers," Alexander added, relieved that things were going so well.
The meeting of the young ones went well, and their birthday celebration lasted a week. They played as much as Princess Anne could handle, read fairy tales and studied. By the time the end of that week came, Princess Anne wasn't ready to leave. "I am enjoying myself too much, Father," she smiled.
King Alexander returned the smile. "Yes, I know, my dear. But we must return to our kingdom now. You will return here one day."
"We will bring you in the summer every year until you are married to him and then you will live here in Britain," Katherine added.
"All right," the princess sighed. She really didn't want to leave; she'd had so much fun on the castle grounds.
"Now, you can say your farewells to him while the coach is being readied," Alexander said.
And so Princess Anne went to Prince Syrus. "We will not see each other until the summer," she said sadly. It was January and unseasonably warm, like it would be when the summer came. "But I will look forward to it, when the waters here are warm," she smiled.
He returned the smile. "Yes, we can go to the beach and play there. Perhaps we can even catch some fish."
"I have never fished," she said, "but I will be eager to learn!"
"I will teach you, then, when you return for the summer. Princess Anne, I will miss you," the eight-year-old prince said.
"And I will miss you, Prince Syrus..." Impulsively, the small princess kissed the prince on the cheek. The prince went as red as the velvet curtains on the windows, eyes wide. He felt strange...like his belly was doing somersaults and he had butterflies in it too. She moved back and pulled a handkerchief from her dress pocket. "Please take this as a symbol of my favor, my prince..."
He blinked, coming back to reality, and reached out to take the hanky. As he did so, their hands brushed against each other. They'd held hands many times during the week, but for some reason it was different this time.
Anne blushed deeply. "We will see each other soon..."
Syrus nodded, holding the hanky. "Yes...let us hope that the remainder of winter and spring pass by quickly."
"Anne! It is time to go, little love!" Katherine called.
"I am coming, Mother!" the small girl called back.
"Princess Anne, before you go," Prince Syrus began.
"Yes, my prince?" she asked before she ran. Before his body could make him hesitate, he moved and landed a swift peck of his own on her cheek. Anne blushed deeply. "Thank you...my prince," she murmured, deep crimson.
Syrus was only blushing a light pink this time. "You're welcome...my princess," he murmured back.
"Anne! Please come!" Katherine called.
"And my son, say good-bye!" William called as well, having seen the pecks on the cheek.
"Oh, good-bye, Princess Anne. I will see you in the summer," he said quickly.
Anne said her good-bye as well and moved quickly to the royal coach, the blush still very much in evidence. Alexander noticed and whispered to his queen, "It seems their farewell was a very sweet one, my love."
"Yes...it was," she whispered back. "Anne," she asked, "are you all right?"
"Yes, Mama," the girl answered.
"The spring will pass quickly, Anne. You will see Prince Syrus sooner than you think," Alexander added.
"Yes, Papa," the girl answered. "He is wonderful!"
"I told you that you would come to love him."
Katherine smiled. "Anne, my darling girl...do you love him?"
"I believe so, Mama!"
"Then this shall be a joyous betrothal, indeed," Alexander stated happily.
Back at the British castle, King William smiled. "You love her, don't you, my son?"
Prince Syrus smiled. "I think I do, Father!"
"You kissed her," the king said matter-of-factly.
The young prince blushed. "You saw?"
"I did, Syrus...Why did you kiss her?" William asked.
"I...I am not sure. Something just told me to do it. I get a very strange feeling when I am with her, Father," Syrus tried to explain, thinking it sounded crazy.
King William smiled. "Does your heart flutter?"
Prince Syrus nodded. "Yes, it does."
"And...do you feel you would like to protect her?"
"Yes, I want to make sure that she never gets hurt."
"I believe you do love her, Syrus...and that is a love that will last forever..."
"Do you think...that she loves me as well, Father?"
"Judging by how she reacts to you," William said thoughtfully, "I think she is..."
Syrus smiled; the thought of Anne returning his affections made him feel very happy. "I hope that she is, Father. And I cannot wait to see her in the summer."
The summer did come quickly and when the children were reunited, it was as if no time had passed. The prince and princess played to their hearts' content and laughed together. And every summer was like that, until the summer after the prince and princess turned 15.
TO BE CONTINUED…
So the prince and princess love each other already, with the innocent love of children. What will happen when they meet again in the summer when they're 15? Will there be a lot of happiness? You'll have to read and hopefully review! So tune in next time for Part II of "In the Time of Knights and Dragons!" Thank you!